Back to Basics
The thing about sensitive skin is that you have to be careful how many different kinds of products you’re using, especially if you’re introducing new products to your routine. Back in the fall of last year, I purchased a bunch of actives – niacinamide, lactic acid, retinol, vitamin C, you name it – and started using them on a daily basis.
It took some time to research how I should be using my actives. Which actives could be layered, if any? Would I use a certain active in my AM routine or PM? What actives did not belong in the same routine? After a good amount of studying, I figured out how to use all the actives I had purchased, and I was ready to go.
At first, everything was going great. I felt like my skin was clear, hydrated, and looking exactly how I wanted it to look. But then, after a few months of using at least a couple actives every day, my skin started getting angry. I had breakouts on my forehead, which is a part of my skin I’ve never had an issue with. My cheeks were getting parched. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong.
So for the first time in a really long time, I made my skincare routines extremely simple. I cleansed, moisturized, and sealed with oil, using masks occasionally. I felt like I was wasting time I could be using to make my skin better, but I knew that my sensitive skin wasn’t able to handle all the products that I thought would make it better.
It’s been about four months since I’ve switched to a simple routine, and my skin has returned to normal. I’m starting to slowly make use of all my actives again, but I’ve learned what “less is more” really means. Taking good care of your skin doesn’t always mean piling on the product – sometimes it means giving it a break from everything you’ve been wanting to experiment with, and letting it adjust to any changes you want to make. Turns out double cleansing with gentle products, applying a good amount of moisturizer, and remembering to wear sunscreen is sometimes all you need. Plus, my bank account’s been happy that I haven’t been adding to my already large skincare collection! If you’ve been doing a lot of new things with your skin and have been unhappy or concerned with your results, maybe going back to basics is something you can try.
Vitamin B12, But For Your Skin?
As someone who considers herself relatively healthy, I’m pretty versed on the importance of vitamins in our daily diets. But, it wasn’t until Coreelle reached out to me with The Potions line that I was intrigued about adding vitamin B12 to my skincare regimen.
Vitamin B12 is fantastic for promoting cell turn over and revealing smoother, firmer, and softer skin. It’s an amazing antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties to help protect and strengthen the skin barrier. The Potions Vitamin B12 Ampoule is a bit thick, but it sinks into our skin quickly and doesn’t leave a greasy film, which makes it perfect for your morning routine. Since I’ve started using it, it’s helped heal a few breakouts faster than usual, as having a strong skin barrier is essential to keeping breakouts at a minimum. Not only does Vitamin B12 reduce irritation, but it also hydrates your skin. It’s one of the most complete antioxidants for your skin and it’s surprising that not a lot of people give it the hype it deserves. I highly recommend you include vitamin B12 in your skincare routine, as it’s been a welcomed addition to mine.
Not only was I able to try out The Potions Vitamin B12 Ampoule, but I was also gifted their Peptide Ampoule and the Cica Complex Cream Mixer. Talk about the perfect anti-aging, skin-saving, hydrated-to-the-gods skincare duo! The Peptide Ampoule is packed with amino acids to help keep the elasticity of your skin, while hydrating and strengthening it as well. Once I’m done patting this ampoule on my neck and face, I follow it up with the Cica Complex Cream Mixer. Now this cream mixer might actually be my favorite moisturizer right now! It has the amazing ingredient cica (which I will dive deeper into in another blog post), which helps soothe and heal your skin, along with two of my favorite ingredients ever; squalane and niacinamide! Squalane is great for winter because it helps strengthen and form a skin barrier, which not only protects skin but retains moisture.It’s the perfect cocktail ingredient for smooth, even-toned, hydrated, healthy skin. I honestly can’t get enough of it. If you haven’t tried it, I urge you to do it cause it’s been a fantastic addition to my skincare routine, y’all know it’s winter and our skin needs some extra TLC right now and this is exactly what my skin needed.
Make sure to check out Coreelle and their incredible selection of the best Korean beauty finds! Some of the brands they carry include: Mellow Touch, House of Dohwa, Swanicoco, Logically Skin, and AdoreBlanc. A huge thank you to the Coreelle team for sponsoring this post and for the amazing products! My skin can’t get enough of them.
Is hyaluronic acid worth the hype?
If you’re a skincare fanatic like I am, you’ve probably been bombarded by very confusing TikToks and Instagram Reels about hyaluronic acid, with some saying to not use it while others advising you to do so. So who do you listen to? Is hyaluronic acid worth the hype or should you steer clear from it?
What exactly does hyaluronic acid do?
Before we get into what exactly hyaluronic acid does and if it’s worth our time and coins, let’s dive into what it actually is. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring polysaccharide that’s found in your body. It’s used to bind moisture and create a hydration cushion for your skin, joints, hair, and eyes. Not only does hyaluronic acid act as a moisturizer, but it also acts as a humectant, a compound that is used to prevent the loss of moisture in your skin due to its amazing ability to retain moisture. One gram of hyaluronic acid can hold up to 6 liters of water, 1000 times its weight!
What makes hyaluronic acid so incredible is its ability to draw in moisture from the environment, making it the perfect serum to apply before your moisturizer so you can get the highest level of hydration from it. And the coolest part about hyaluronic acid is that it will draw in the right amount of moisture, without drowning your skin in water and breaking down key substances that hold your skin’s surface intact. It’s basically a smart little hydrating molecule, and we love that!
When we look at your typical skincare products that contain hyaluronic acid, the industry standard is about a 2% level of concentration. Anything higher than that will have the opposite effect on your skin and dry it out. Much like everything in life, anything in excess is never good.
Benefits of hyaluronic acid
Plays nice with all your other skincare products. There are actually no known negative reactions with other ingredients, which makes it very easy to incorporate into your skincare routine.
Safe for all skin types. Generally, hyaluronic acid is safe for all skin types, but like any new product you’re introducing to your routine, always patch test before applying it all over your face.
Helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. As we age, our skin loses the ability to retain moisture, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles. With the help of hyaluronic acid, your skin can replenish moisture and plump up your skin for a smoother appearance and texture.
How to use hyaluronic acid
Always use it as a base before applying your moisturizer since hyaluronic acid’s main purpose is to draw in moisture, provide moisture! You don’t want to use it on its own as it can work against you and draw moisture from your skin, so always pair it with your favorite moisturizer. Because it plays nice with basically everything in your skincare routine, you can use it day and night. My current go-to hyaluronic acid is The INKEYLIST Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum, as it’s fast-absorbing and leaves my skin super plump and hydrated. And with a price tag of $7.99, it’s a bargain!
Overall, hyaluronic acid is all that and a bag of chips. If you haven’t incorporated it into your routine, I would suggest you do so if you have dry skin, are worried about aging gracefully, and live in a dry area. It’s worth the hype, and my skin has benefited greatly from it.
Winter Time Skincare
Winter is basically here guys, and as lovely as the holiday season is with the beautiful decorations and snowy vibes, it can wreak havoc on your skin. With the cold air, low humidity, and indoor heating, your skin is losing moisture like never before! And losing moisture can lead to rough, itchy, cracked, and irritated skin. Which is a recipe for premature aging. A mess, to say the least!
So how do we keep our skin from losing moisture?
We add in moisture in our skin care routine, and make a couple of lifestyle updates like the below:
Change your gel cleanser to a cream cleanser: foaming cleansers and salicylic acid cleansers have sulfates that make them more drying than cream cleansers, so winter time is the perfect time to make the switch! I normally use the Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser but I switched to the I Dew Care Namaste Kitten Cleanser for now since it has a very creamy texture, but still caters to acne-prone skin.
Include a hydrating toner and serum in your routine: one of my favorite hydrating toners is the Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Facial Toner as it sinks right into my skin and has one of my favorite ingredients, aloe vera. For a hydrating serum, my pick is the Innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum. Not only does this serum keep my skin hydrated AF, it also has a ton of antioxidants that help fight off free-radicals!
Incorporate a hydrating mask to your routine 2x a week: I have a very healthy addiction to hydrating masks, but the one that I have been gravitating to the most right now is the Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask. It’s super gentle and leaves my skin extremely hydrated and soft the next morning.
Add facial oils to your routine: if you haven’t been using facial oils, this is the time to start. One of my favorite hydrating oils is the Biossance 100% Squalane Oil. It’s derived from plants, so no beautiful sharks were harmed in the making of this amazing oil. It doesn’t leave your skin greasy, and it absorbs super quickly so you don’t even feel it. It keeps you hydrated and balances your skin microbiome, definitely a must-have all year long.
Take shorter, colder showers: now I love a steamy shower, but right now, those dry me out horribly. Shorten your shower time and use lukewarm water and your skin will thank you.
Invest in a humidifier: to combat the dry air in your room, get a humidifier and place it close to your bed so that your skin gets the most out of it.
Hopefully these tips will help you like they did my skin. If you have any other tips and tricks, comment them below!
The Ultra-Affordable Foundation You Need to Try
Dealing with redness and dryness at the same time means finding a good foundation is doubly challenging. On the one hand, I need coverage that can even out my skin tone and hide away red patches, but on the other hand, I need a formula that won’t make me appear flaky and dehydrated.
Foundations aren’t cheap, either. And even if the place you’re buying from has a great return policy, in the age of COVID-19, it can feel like a hassle to go into the store or the post office to give an item back.
So when I stumbled upon The Ordinary’s Coverage Foundation, generously priced at $6.90, my jaw dropped! The Ordinary is a brand I have trusted and loved for a while now, and I had no idea they had come out with a foundation, and no doubt that it’d be a solid product. (The Ordinary also offers a serum foundation that is designed for lighter coverage, in case that’s what you’re looking for, but I won’t be touching on that here.)
The Ordinary markets this product as a “high-spreadability pigment suspension system with high coverage”. The pigments in the formula “[allow] pigments to look natural on the skin, resist collecting within fine lines and stay on for longer.” Essentially, you get a semi-matte, natural finish without compromising on full coverage.
I have three different shades from them (one for summer when my skin tans from being out in the sun, two for mixing for the rest of the year), and I can say that I was immediately impressed with the coverage. A little pump of this creamy foundation goes an extremely long way. The redness on my cheeks was covered in an instant, and by the end of application, my skin tone looked extremely even.
The finish is indeed semi-matte; my skin looks hydrated but not shiny. Even after around three to four hours of wear, the coverage is still mostly there (though not completely), and the product is hardly settling in dry patches or fine lines.
All in all, I think this foundation is really worth trying. You can’t beat the price, and for folks like me who want a lot of coverage but still want to make sure their skin looks natural, this product promises just that. The Coverage Foundation combines affordability and quality, and I’ll be using it for a long time to come!
Demystifying Vitamin C
One of my favorite ingredients that I can’t go without is Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant used to fight off free-radicals. Without getting too technical, free radicals are horrible little things! These little molecules cause a ton of damage to our bodies and contribute to many diseases, so antioxidants are extremely important for our health. And Vitamin C is a powerhouse of antioxidants!
Here are some of the amazing skin benefits of antioxidants:
Help prevent and correct signs of aging
Promote the production of collagen
Help prevent sunburn by protecting against sun damage
Help brighten skin tone by by reducing photo-damage and inhibiting melanin production
Help prevent against skin cancer due to its anti-carcinogenic properties
Now, do you see why you need to incorporate vitamin C into your skincare routine? Not only does it help with hyperpigmentation and acne marks, but it’s an amazing anti-aging ingredient. Not to mention that using vitamin C before you wear sunscreen actually increases the level of sun protection of your sunscreen by reducing sun-burn cell formation by up to 60%!
Vitamin C Serum vs. VItamin C Oil
Vitamin C comes in various different forms, but when you’re shopping you will likely need to make a decision between a vitamin C serum and a vitamin C oil. Now, the main difference is that the vitamin C oil will have larger molecule sizes than a serum, so it won’t penetrate as deeply into the skin as a serum will. I like to use both, I use serums in the morning because they absorb faster into my skin, while I use oils at night as they are more hydrating and take a bit longer to penetrate the skin than serums.
You can also find vitamin C in cleansers and moisturizers, but the highest concentrations will always be found in serums and oils.
My favorite affordable vitamin C serum is The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum as it sinks right into my skin, and my hyperpigmentation spots start to fade within two weeks of use. When it comes to vitamin C oils, I love the Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil and the Sunday Riley C.E.O Glow Vitamin C + Turmeric Face Oil. Both aren’t super heavy and you can see visible results within the first two to three weeks of use.
How Often Should You Use Vitamin C?
This varies per person, as some of us might be more tolerant to it than others. I normally use it every day in the morning and about 2 times a week at night so I get the most protection out of my sunscreen. Now if I’m breaking out, I don’t use it until my breakouts are dried out as using too many active ingredients can further irritate a break out.
Chemical Exfoliation 101
As scary as ‘chemical exfoliants’ sound, you shouldn’t shy away from them. Chemical exfoliation has been my go to exfoliation since the earth shattering St. Ives Apricot Scrub lawsuit of 2016. Let me catch you up on the scorching tea that shook the skincare world 4 years ago. The St. Ives Apricot Scrub was everyone’s go-to physical exfoliant, you even had celebrities raving about it! It’s cheap, lined most Walgreens and CVS skincare isles, and it was ‘effective’ in giving you super smooth, baby skin. OR SO YOU THOUGHT! We were all bamboozled, as this particular scrub contained walnut powder that ended damaging people’s skin with permanent microtears, along with the shorter side effects of breakouts, inflammation, and irritation.
So needless to say, I was done with physical exfoliation and chemical exfoliants entered the chat.
Chemical exfoliants come in different molecule sizes, the smaller the chemical molecule, the deeper they penetrate. Let’s break down each different category and how to use them.
AHA’s or Alpha Hydroxy Acids
AHA’s are water-soluble acids found in sugary fruits. They help peel off dead skin cells from the top layer of your skin, revealing smoother, softer, more even toned skin. Not only do AHA’s help with hyperpigmentation, they help with fine lines and wrinkles, and enlarged pores. The most common AHA’s are glycolic acid and lactic acid.
Other AHA’s are:
Malic acid
Exfoliates and helps other AHA’s (glycolic and lactic acid) exfoliate at different levels since this molecule is larger
Tartaric acid
Helps other AHA’s work by maintaining their pH range
Citric acid
Concentrations of 10% and up can be skin sensitizing due to its pH of 2.2
Low concentrations are used as antioxidants and pH adjusters
Mandelic acid
Largest AHA molecule
Can increase oil production so it’s best used by dry skin types
AHA’s are safe for all skin types, but if you have dry and sensitive skin practice caution and patch test products before applying them all over your face. Also, AHA’s make your skin sensitive to the sun, so it’s best to use them at night to avoid any sun damage and wear sunscreen the morning after. Honestly, you should always wear SPF no matter what, but more so after you exfoliate.
BHA’s or Beta Hydroxy Acids
BHA’s are oil-soluble molecules that penetrate deeper into the skin than AHA’s. Because BHA’s are oil-soluble, they’re great for unclogging pores, and getting sebum under control when you’re having a breakout or dealing with blackheads. BHA’s are also anti-inflammatory and help rid of bacteria, making them the go-to solution for acne related concerns. The most common BHA is salicylic acid.
BHA’s are also safe for all skin types, but people with dry and sensitive skin should be cautious when using it. I use salicylic acid at night, just like any AHA’s that I include in my skincare routine. And like I stated before, always use SPF the morning after you use BHA’s as they are exfoliators and can increase sun-sensitivity.
PHA’s or Poly Hydroxy Acids
PHA’s have the largest molecule size out of all chemical exfoliants, which makes them perfect for sensitive skin since they are slower to penetrate the skin. And since they’re fantastic for sensitive skin, they work great on all skin types. These can essentially be your stepping stone into chemical exfoliation if you’re brand new to the game. PHA’s are great for increasing cell renewal, locking in moisture, and acting as antioxidants.
Examples of PHA’s are:
Gluconolactone
Lactobionic acid
Galactose
Like all chemical exfoliants, it’s always safer to use them at night and to wear SPF the day after.
How to use chemical exfoliants
You can definitely use AHA’s, BHA’s, and PHA’s together (these ingredients can actually be found formulated together in various products, like the AHA-BHA-PHA 30Days Miracle Toner from Some By Mi) , but you need to read the instructions of each product. Typically, it’s safer to combine products with these ingredients when they’re from the same product brand, as the concentrations vary per formulation. As I said earlier, ALWAYS PATCH TEST any new product you introduce to your skincare routine.
As we all know, our skin is very unique, and what works for me might not work for you. But I’ve found that if I use an AHA once a week at the most, and alternate between BHA’s and PHA’s then my skin tends to do well.
If I’m breaking out pretty badly, then I use BHA’s for a week to a week and a half (currently loving the Caudalie Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Serum as it’s been killing my blackheads), then chill out for about a week, then use an AHA formula.
Now, when my skin is living it’s best life, I use PHA’s twice a week like The INKEY List PHA Toner and then a strong AHA formula (like The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution) once every 2 weeks. I’ve definitely made the mistake of over exfoliating and your girl paid dearly! Had the worst case of maskne I’ve ever had cause my skin moisture barrier was completely ravaged. So less is more when you exfoliate and always start slow.
Dealing with Dry Skin
For as long as I can remember, my skin has been dry. At its worst, my cheeks and nose would peel, and immediately after drying my face from a wash, my skin would feel incredibly tight and parched. In a desperate attempt to fix the problem, I lathered on whatever I had in sight. Many of these products made my skin sting, which I thought was an uncomfortable but normal sign that my skin’s thirst was being quenched, but looking back, I can see that I wasn’t using the right products, and with proper research, I could have helped my skin a long time ago.
Last year, I finally decided to do the research I needed to turn my skin from flaky to hydrated – and while I’m still figuring out what my skin loves most, there are a few products that have quickly become the superstars of my dry skin journey.
It’d be an understatement to say a good moisturizer is essential for dry-skinned folks. I’ve experimented with all kinds of textures, but find that I feel longer-lasting effects with thicker, cream-like consistencies. And since my skin is sensitive, too, I also prefer gentler formulas. I found my forever moisturizer earlier this year in First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration. The company calls it a “head-to-toe moisturizer that provides instant relief and long-term hydration for dry, distressed skin, even eczema”.
After the first few days of use, I could already feel the effects. My skin felt instantly hydrated right after application, but that hydration also carried into the rest of the day and through the night (I use it in the AM and PM, and it’s the only moisturizer in my routine). I had a dry patch on my right cheek that I couldn’t get rid of, but using this cream religiously made it shrink down noticeably. Today, my skin never feels parched or tight, and it’s visibly more hydrated. My makeup goes on easier because I’m not having to deal with as many dry patches or as much flakiness.
An added bonus with this cream is its light, whipped texture. Once applied, it sinks right in, so you don’t have to feel like there’s a bunch of product just sitting on your face. Even now, after almost half a year of use, it’s still my favorite part of my skin routine because of the way it goes on!
I seal my Ultra Repair Cream in with another holy grail product: a face oil. Up until I tried oil for the first time last year, I thought it was bad, thinking that putting it on would make my skin prone to oiliness. But I’ve since learned that’s a myth – the right oils can be effective for all skin types, even including oily!
To date, I’ve used three different oils, all from The Ordinary: the 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Borage Seed Oil, 100% Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil, and 100% Plant-Derived Squalane. All of these fall under the “Hydrators and Oils” category on The Ordinary’s Regimen Guide. I use my face oils at the end of every skincare routine as an occlusive, which is just a fancy word for a substance that locks in the moisture from your previous skincare steps to prevent it from escaping. But hydration isn’t the only thing that face oils help with – across the three of the oils I use, a variety of skin concerns are addressed, including redness and sensitivity (which I also struggle with), inflammation, dullness, and signs of aging, among others. Since incorporating oil into my routine, my skin has gotten a lot softer, and I feel like I have a little more glow in the morning!
Dry skin can be really tricky, stubborn, and frustrating, but just adding a couple of extra steps with the right products can go a long way. I hope all my dry skin friends out there can try these life-savers out and get that soft and supple feeling we’re all looking for!
Blackheads: What are they and how do we deal with them?
As a normal to oily skin type gal, I am “lucky” enough to deal with the most common skin disorder out there, blackheads. Before I really got into skincare, I thought that blackheads were actual little hairs that you just had to deal with, unwanted tiny hairs that decided to grow all over your nose. So I never did anything about it. But once I started to really get into skincare, the first thing I looked into were blackheads.
Blackheads are hair follicles clogged by dead skin, bacteria, and sebum to such an extent that the pore becomes irritated and opens, leading to oxygen changing the color of the sebum to black. They are also referred to as open comedones, which are the opposite of closed comedones, or whiteheads.
Once I knew that blackheads are angry, clogged hair follicles, I figured that the best way to avoid this issue is to exfoliate the area. Now, I’m someone that truly loves to exfoliate, but I prefer chemical exfoliation rather than physical because we can get carried away with physical exfoliants by rubbing our skin too hard, while chemical exfoliants work at a cellular level and can be more effective. I’ll go deeper into this preference of mine in another post.
In order to tackle my blackhead predicament, I started using various chemical exfoliants, but the one that I’m currently using and enjoying is the Caudalie Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Serum. The reason I love this formula is because of its high concentration of salicylic acid and niacinamide, which are fantastic ingredients on their own, but together they become the perfect pore cleansing duo.
Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid, and beta hydroxy acids (BHA) are exfoliating chemicals that are oil soluble, which means they penetrate deeper into the skin than alpha hydroxy acids (AHA). Because salicylic acid is a BHA, it goes deep into your pore and cleanses it from within, dissolving dead skin cells, sebum, and getting rid of bacteria all at once. It’s really one of the best ingredients you can use to get rid of blackheads, or whiteheads for that matter. Like most BHAs, you don’t want to overuse salicylic acid, as it can lead to skin sensitivity and irritation.
Niacinamide is actually the water-soluble vitamin B3. It minimizes and tightens pores, helps improve uneven skin tone, it repairs the skin barrier, and also acts as a fantastic aging-gracefully ingredient by softening fine lines and wrinkles. Niacinamide does it all. It works well with many ingredients, so it’s great for sensitive skin as you don’t need to worry about increasing sensitivity due to prolonged use.
Because both salicylic acid and niacinamide target the pores so precisely and effectively, the Caudalie Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Serum has become a staple in my skincare routine when dealing with blackheads. I use it in the morning or night, depending on what I plan on doing that day. It took about a week to see results, but within the first couple of days of use, I got a couple of new whiteheads. This period of ‘purging’ was expected, so I just kept using it and found that my breakouts and blackheads started going away within the week. Like anything related to skincare (and life for that matter) you have to be patient with results, we all have different skin and how it reacts to ingredients varies per person. I’ll be on the lookout for more salicylic acid serums, but so far I’m pretty happy with this one and highly recommend it.
Retinol: What is it and do you need it?
As someone that is in her late 20’s, well let’s be real, as someone that is in her last year/months of her 20’s, anti-aging products are calling my name! And the mother of all anti-aging ingredients is none other than retinol. But before we get into what retinol is, can we talk about how anti-aging makes aging feel wrong? Aging is a privilege that a lot of people don’t get to experience, so we should all look forward to it. The older I get, the happier I am! I feel more comfortable in my own skin now more than ever, I actually learn from my mistakes and enjoy taking accountability, and I know what I want out of life. I get more in touch with who I am as time passes, so I’m absolutely loving getting older. Instead of calling it anti-aging, let’s embrace this amazing journey that we’re on and call it ‘aging-gracefully’ cause that’s exactly what we’re doing.
So what exactly is retinol?
Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A and comes in various forms, all with varying strength, which can be a bit intimidating when you first start looking into retinol. The easiest way to break down retinoids is by strength, with the strongest being prescription only treatments that have retinoic acid or retin-a, to the weakest being adapalene. Let’s break down each of the different levels of retinoids, starting with adapalene.
Adapalene, or differin, is actually used to treat acne. This was a super surprising fact for me when I started researching retinoids, they originally started as acne treatments, but somewhere along the way they became the holy grail of aging-gracefully treatments. Adapalene slows the pore-lining growth process and desensitizes the skin to inflammation, making it an ideal acne treatment.
Next up in the retinoid family are retinoid esters, which include retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate, and retinyl linoleate. These are great for sensitive skin and people that are beginning to incorporate retinoids in their routine as they are the weakest in the retinoid family.
Up next is retinol, which is the strongest retinoid that you can get over the counter. It has less side effects than retinoid acid, and you definitely have to work your way up to this ingredient level so that you don’t experience retinoid dermatitis, which is an irritation of the skin that leads to dryness, scaling, and skin peeling. Retinol works at a cellular level to convert to retinoic acid, so it takes longer to work than the actual prescription of retinoic acid.
The last retinoid I’ll touch base on is retinoic acid or retin-a. Since this is the strongest and requires a prescription, it works a lot faster than retinol since we’re skipping the conversion phase in the skin.
What does retinol (or retinoids) do?
So now that we know the different levels of greatness that retinol blesses us with, let’s talk about what it does! Retinoids are basically a gift from the heavens. They work deep in your skin by affecting gene expression and encouraging collagen production, skin smoothing, and evening of pigmentation, not to mention that they can actually treat acne! In other words, they make sure your skin stays as youthful and beautiful as it can! Which is why it’s such a staple in the aging-gracefully movement.
As magical as retinoids are, they are very unstable when exposed to sunlight, so it’s always best to use this ingredient in your nighttime routine and ensure that you wear sunscreen the next day cause we gotta protect retinoids at all costs!
When it comes to results, you want to be patient as it takes 6 to 12 months to see visual changes in any fine lines when you use retinol. Now if you upgrade to retinoic acid, you may see results within 12 weeks of treatment.
So now that you have a better idea of what retinol is and what it can do for you, try including it in your nighttime routine as it can only help you age more gracefully. I normally use mine about twice a week, depending on what’s going on with my skin. I’m currently using The Inkey List Retinol Anti-Aging Serum and I love it! With a price tag of $9.99, it’s very difficult to not like it. Once I’m done with this formula, I will explore the skincare world for my next retinol serum and update you.